PROACTIVE CARE Starts with the Brain: Rethinking Health Plan Focus

When evaluating the total cost of care within a health plan, benefits teams are often overwhelmed by where to focus limited resources. While categories like cancer, musculoskeletal, circulatory, and digestive remain consistent cost drivers, behavioral health has steadily climbed in both prevalence and financial impact. Rather than prioritizing purely by spend or utilization, considering a clinical lens—what most affects the lives of the people you're supporting—can offer a powerful starting point. The brain is central to human function, and optimizing brain health has the widest clinical ripple effect, often intersecting with circulatory and metabolic conditions. A PROACTIVE CARE approach might prioritize five key areas:

1. Behavioral health—connecting individuals to therapeutic support;

2. Circulatory health—addressing blood pressure, diabetes, and cholesterol through primary care;

3. Musculoskeletal—managing pain and promoting movement with physical therapy;

4. Digestive—improving nutrition and managing discomfort; and

5. Cancer—emphasizing screening and early detection.

These priorities are especially urgent given new CDC data showing depression rates in the U.S. have nearly doubled in recent years, with over 13% of individuals aged 12 and up affected and less than half receiving therapy.

Elgaddal N, Weeks JD, Mykyta L. Characteristics of adults age 18 and older who took prescription medication for depression: United States, 2023. NCHS Data Brief. 2025 Apr;(528):1-9. DOI: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db528.htm